September 2022 Senior Minister Search Committee Update

September 8, 2022

We continue to meet every other week as a committee and are focused now in earnest on getting everything ready to receive applications of ministerial candidates interested in our senior minister position!   We are on schedule to release our church profile – to the congregation, to the conference, and to the wider world – by the end of September.

Before we release the profile we will have:

• Mapped our strategy for active outreach to potential candidates using a cultivated network comprised of friends and colleagues, Old South pastoral alumni, seminaries and community organizations, and affinity groups from within the UCC conference
• Built a landing page for potential applicants on our church website with information about the position and instructions for application
• Drafted templates for communicating with applicants so that we can be clear about our timeline and transparent about where we are in the process

After releasing the profile and launching our strategy for active outreach, we look forward to receiving applications.  Though we will review applications on a rolling basis, we want to ensure that we have recruited a diverse pool of candidates before we begin interviewing. We will communicate to potential applicants our intent to solicit applications through the end of November, though we won’t officially “close the door” on new candidates until we have found our new Senior Minister.  Out of respect for the Advent and Christmas season and the demands on ministers’ time during the month of December, we anticipate beginning our interviews in January.   

We have been thoughtful about the development of our criteria for evaluating applicants and feel confident that the framework we have developed represents the will of the congregation as it emerged from over thirty listening sessions with staff and members this spring. 

As a committee, we continue to ground our work in prayer and Scripture, listening attentively for God’s guidance as we craft the process and share perspectives with one another.  Please keep us and our work in your prayers.